Category Archives: Thornton Weather

Climate change ‘urgent and growing threat’ to national security: Pentagon

A new Pentagon report says that climate change is an “urgent and growing threat to our national security” and blames it for “increased natural disasters” that will require more American troops designated to combat bad weather. Some studies have questioned whether such a trend exists. Says the Pentagon report released Wednesday, “Global climate change will have… Continue reading Climate change ‘urgent and growing threat’ to national security: Pentagon

Freakishly High Temperatures Trigger Tajikistan Floods

Mudflows and flooding triggered by an ice melt in the central Asian country of Tajikistan have displaced more than 600 people, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Usually high summer temperatures in Tajikistan, home to 8.4 million people, caused a glacial melt on July 16. The resulting water runoff hit the Shughnon district in… Continue reading Freakishly High Temperatures Trigger Tajikistan Floods

2005’s Hurricane Katrina led to improvement in storm forecasting

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Hurricane Katrina, the most-destructive and third-deadliest storm in U.S. history, also was a force for change, spurring major advancements in forecasting and communication. Since its rampage in late August 2005, scientists have developed several new high-tech tools to better predict the strength and track of storms, in hopes of preventing a similar… Continue reading 2005’s Hurricane Katrina led to improvement in storm forecasting

June 2015 weather recap: Warmer and wetter than normal conditions for the month

The month of June was a rather eventful one with wetter than normal conditions starting things out and temperatures coming in quite a ways above normal.  Further, the month lived up to its reputation as Colorado’s severe weather month with numerous notable thunderstorms and a good bit of tornado activity.

The month started out warm and dry but on the 3rd a cold front moved in cooling things down and bringing healthy shots of rain.  On the 4th and 5th Thornton saw more than a half inch of rain on each day.

To our north, the 4th brought extreme weather in the form of an EF-3 tornado near Berthoud and multiple, smaller tornadoes in the Simla area to the southwest.

We then dried out a bit and warmed up but on the 9th another cold front arrived.  Like the previous system, cooler temperatures and a decent shot of rain followed.

In the first 18 days of the month, Thornton saw 14 days with measurable precipitation.  That however chanced for the latter third of the month as we dried out and warmed up significantly.  There were still days with thunderstorms but the bulk of them seemed to just miss Thornton for the most part.

Such was the case of the 24th when extreme weather hit to our south.  While we saw just a bit of rain, other areas near central Denver recorded far more and an EF-1 tornado struck from northeast Denver to northwest Aurora.

Overall Thornton’s monthly average temperature for June 2015 came in at 69.0 degrees.  This was a good ways above the long term June average for Denver of 67.4 degrees.   Out at the airport, the Mile High City’s official average reading was 69.5 degrees.

Temperatures in Thornton ranged from a high of 94.3 degrees on the 21st down to a low of 50.5 degrees on the morning of the 6th.  Denver’s highest reading of 94 degrees came on the 30th and its lowest of 51 degrees on the 3rd.

In terms of precipitation, both Thornton and Denver recorded identical amounts in their rain buckets.  The 2.53 inches of precip bested Denver’s June average of 1.98 inches by a good bit.  In all, Thornton saw 16 days of measurable precipitation while Denver recorded 13.

Click here to view Thornton’s June 2015 climate report.

Thornton, Colorado's June 2015 temperatur?e summary. (ThorntonW?eather.com?)
Thornton, Colorado’s June 2015 temperatur?e summary. (ThorntonW?eather.com?)
Thornton, Colorado's June 2015 precipitat?ion summary. (ThorntonW?eather.com?)
Thornton, Colorado’s June 2015 precipitat?ion summary. (ThorntonW?eather.com?)
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
806 PM MDT SAT JUL 4 2015

................................... 

...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE 2015... 

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2015

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................ 
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             105   06/26/2012
                        06/25/2012
                        54/01/2206
 LOW               30   06/02/1951
HIGHEST            94   06/30                         94  06/26
LOWEST             51   06/03                         42  06/15
AVG. MAXIMUM     82.9              82.4     0.5     83.4
AVG. MINIMUM     56.1              52.3     3.8     51.2
MEAN             69.5              67.4     2.1     67.3
DAYS MAX >= 90      6               7.9    -1.9        6
DAYS MAX <= 32      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MIN <= 32      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.0     0.0        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         4.96   1882
 MINIMUM            T   1890
TOTALS           2.53              1.98    0.55     1.82
DAILY AVG.       0.08              0.07    0.01     0.06
DAYS >= .01        13               8.4     4.6        9
DAYS >= .10         5               4.6     0.4        5
DAYS >= .50         2               1.4     0.6        1
DAYS >= 1.00        0               0.3    -0.3        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.99   06/05 TO 06/05           06/27 TO 06/27

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL            0.0
TOTALS            0.0               0.0

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL      11                62     -51       30
 SINCE 7/1       5583              6058    -475     6004
COOLING TOTAL     154               133      21      106
 SINCE 1/1        158               155       3      127

FREEZE DATES
RECORD
 EARLIEST     09/08/1962
 LATEST       06/08/2007
EARLIEST                        10/07
LATEST                          05/05
........................................................ 

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              9.0
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION   2/167
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    36/160    DATE  06/24
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    47/160    DATE  06/24

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            6
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             22
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY          2

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     61

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM             16     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                4     RAIN                       5
LIGHT RAIN               16     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       3
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       0
LIGHT SNOW                0     SLEET                      1
FOG                       6     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      1
HAZE                      3

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

June 2015 top shots: Monthly photo slideshow

June 6, 2015 - An amazing June sunset in Thornton. (Michelle Jones)
June 6, 2015 – An amazing June sunset in Thornton. (Michelle Jones)

The month of June typically sees springtime severe weather reach its height of activity in northeastern Colorado.

This affords the opportunity to capture extraordinary images of amazing weather phenomena from monstrous supercell thunderstorms to heavy rain, hail and even tornadoes.

  • Slideshow updated July 1, 2015

Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather and nature related imagery.

Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted.  June brings some very dynamic weather and the photos are a great way to see the stunning variety.

To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.

[flickr_set id=”72157654137987799″]

What is missing in the slideshow above?  Your photo!

Our monthly photo slideshow is going to feature images that we have taken but more importantly images that you have captured.  The photos can be of anything even remotely weather-related.

Landscapes, current conditions, wildlife, pets, kids.  Whimsical, newsy, artsy.  Taken at the zoo, some other area attraction, a local park, a national park or your backyard.  You name it, we want to see and share it!

Images can be taken in Thornton, Denver or anywhere across the extraordinary Centennial State.  We’ll even take some from out of state if we can tie it to Colorado somehow.

We’ll keep the criteria very open to interpretation with just about any image eligible to be shown in our slideshows.

What do you win for having your image in our slideshow?  We are just a ‘mom and pop’ outfit and make no money from our site so we really don’t have the means to provide prizes.  However you will have our undying gratitude and the satisfaction that your images are shared on the most popular website in Thornton.

To share you images with us and get them included in the slideshow just email them to us or share them with ThorntonWeather.com on any of the various social media outlets.  Links are provided below.

So come on, get those camera’s rolling!

June 28 to July 4: This week in Denver weather history

This Week In Denver Weather History
June 28 to July 4: This week in Denver weather history

As always, an interesting week in Denver and Thornton weather history.  Various severe weather items are noteworthy, none more so than on July 2, 2006 when a teenager wearing an iPod was struck with lightning.  The music player actually contributed to the teen’s injuries by providing a direct route for the electricity into the victim’s head via the headphones.

From the National Weather Service:

21-3

In 2002…the maximum temperature in Denver equaled or exceeded 90 degrees for 13 consecutive days…equaling the 5th longest such streak on record.  The record of 18 consecutive days was set during the summer of 1901.

28

In 1873…there was a great deal of smoke over the city from forest fires in the mountains.

In 1875…smoke from forest fires in the foothills south of Denver were visible from the city.

In 1913…an apparent dry microburst produced southwest winds sustained to 44 mph with gusts to 48 mph in the city.

In 1925…a thunderstorm produced north winds sustained to 38 mph with gusts to 44 mph.

In 1958…a microburst caused a brief wind gust to 58 mph at Stapleton Airport.

In 1964…lightning struck several homes in metro Denver… Sparking fires.  Some flooding occurred in the stockyards area…at West 45th Avenue and St. Paul Street…and along Harvard Gulch.

In 1997…strong microburst winds of unknown speed downed several trees…signs…and at least one light pole in the Fort Lupton area.  Two trees knocked over by the storm downed power lines causing scattered outages.

In 2002…a thunderstorm wind gust to 60 mph was recorded in Parker.

In 2005…severe thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 66 mph near Longmont and to 60 mph near Niwot.  No damage was reported.  A thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 55 mph at Denver International Airport during the afternoon.

29

In 1874…eight different fires in mountain forests were visible from the city.  All of the fires were extensive… And the volume of smoke from each was immense.  Three of these fires had been burning from the 18th with varied intensity.

In 1911…an apparent dry microburst produced sustained winds to 45 mph.

In 1960…a strong gust of wind blew a small foreign sedan off the highway near Brighton…injuring the driver.  East winds gusted to 40 mph at Stapleton Airport.

In 1961…thunderstorm winds estimated as high as 40 to 50 mph occurred over southeast Denver.  No significant damage was reported.

In 1962…heavy rain and small hail caused some flooding in southwest Denver.

In 1995…upslope cloudiness with rain and fog cooled temperatures to record levels.  Low temperature of 47 degrees equaled the record for the date.  High temperature of only 54 degrees set a new record low maximum for the date.  Rainfall totaled 0.90 inch at Denver International Airport and 0.41 inch at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.

In 2003…a severe thunderstorm in Parker produced hail to 1 inch in diameter.

In 2011…two airmen from the Colorado National Guard suffered minor injuries when they were struck by lightning. They were hit while on duty at a flight line at Buckley Air Force Base. At Denver International Airport…a microburst produced a peak wind gust to 72 mph.

29-2

In 1990…almost a year to date after the record breaking heat in early July 1989…the third longest heat wave in Denver history started.  From June 29th through July 2nd the temperature reached 100 degrees or more on four consecutive days.  The highest reading of 102 degrees occurred on the 29th…30th…and 1st.  Combined with the 102 degree reading on June 27th this would have been the longest heat wave on record…but the temperature climbed to only 98 degrees on June 28th.

29-15

In 2000…the 29th marked the beginning of a near record hot streak for metro Denver.  The high temperatures…as recorded at Denver International Airport…exceeded the 90 degree mark for 17 consecutive days from June 29th through July 15th. This was one day short of equaling the all time record.  The record of 18 consecutive 90 degree or above days was first set from July 1st through July 18th…1874.  The record was equaled from July 6th through July 23rd…1901.

30

In 1879…dense smoke from mountain forest fires covered the city and obscured the sun as it set behind the mountains.

In 1900…a thunderstorm produced northwest winds to 44 mph with gusts to 58 mph…but only a trace of rain.

In 1917…north winds were sustained to 47 mph with gusts to 52 mph.

In 1942…a strong thunderstorm produced hail and heavy rainfall in south Denver.  Leaves were stripped from trees and heavy rain caused street flooding which halted traffic.  Hail of unknown size reached a depth of 9 inches on the ground.

In 1965…funnel clouds were observed to the south of Stapleton International Airport and in Jefferson County…15 miles southwest of the airport.  Later…a tornado touched down briefly 1 mile east of Littleton…causing only minor damage. Another tornado was observed 12 miles southwest of Stapleton International Airport in Jefferson County.  Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter fell in the bear valley area…12 miles south- southwest of Stapleton International Airport.  Yet another tornado was sighted 10 miles northwest of the airport. Cloudbursts accompanied by hail battered areas of Arapahoe and Adams counties east of Denver…damaging ripening grain fields.  At Lafayette…3.50 inches of rain fell in 30 minutes…causing some flooding.

In 1982…numerous funnel clouds were observed over southwest metro Denver.  Only one funnel touched down near the intersection of Jewell and Kipling.  The tornado was on the ground for about 5 minutes and caused no damage except for uprooting some trees.  In addition…thunderstorms produced heavy rain and hail in the foothills west of Denver.  Over an inch of rain fell in a short time near Idaho Springs… Causing clear creek to overflow its banks and flood a few low lying areas of the town.  A few people were evacuated… And water and mud entered several stores.  The heavy rain also washed out several roads.  Hail piled up to a depth of 3 to 4 inches near Idaho Springs.   Hail to 3/4 inch was reported at many places across metro Denver including Stapleton International Airport.  Lightning struck a chemistry building on the university of Colorado campus in Boulder and started a small fire.  Thunderstorm wind gusts to 60 mph were reported near Brighton.

In 1984…heavy rain caused some street and basement flooding in Littleton.  One location received 1.56 inches of rain in 75 minutes.

In 1987…a weak tornado near Watkins stayed on the ground for 5 minutes.

In 1990…a small twister touched down in an open field just north of the rocky mountain arsenal.  No damage was reported.

In 1998…hail as large as 1 inch in diameter fell near Evergreen.

In 2005…a severe thunderstorm produced hail as large as 3/4 inch near Roggen.  The hail destroyed a wheat field.

In 2006…the temperature reached a high of 98 degrees at Denver International Airport.  This marked the 19th day in June with a maximum temperature of 90 degrees or more setting a new all-time record for the month.

In 2011…very strong thunderstorm winds were also observed across portions of the urban corridor. A peak wind gust to 65 mph was recorded…2 miles northeast of boulder with a gust to 63 mph at Front Range Airport at Watkins and 7 miles southeast of Denver International Airport.  The peak wind gust measured at Denver International Airport itself was 45 mph.  A severe thunderstorm also produced one inch in diameter hail 2 miles south-southeast of Parker. In addition…a lightning strike destroyed a home in north Denver.

Continue reading June 28 to July 4: This week in Denver weather history

Aurora, Colorado tornado rated EF-1

Severe weather more typical of June than late September hit Colorado yesterday.The National Weather Service completed an assessment of the damage caused during yesterday’s severe weather in the Denver metro area. They determined that a tornado did indeed touch down and was responsible for the bulk of the damage in Aurora.

The service said the twister was on the ground for 2.8 miles as it passed through Aurora. It however was not a wide tornado only reaching a maximum of 50 yards. Maximum winds were estimated at 86 to 90 mph giving it an EF-1 rating.

The complete text from the National Weather Service statement follows:

NOUS45 KBOU 251829 CCA
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-260600-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTED ENDING TIME
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER, CO
1148 AM MDT THU JUN 25 2015

...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 06/24/2015 TORNADO EVENT... 

.EAST DENVER/WEST AURORA TORNADO...

RATING:                 EF-1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    86-90 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  2.8 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   50 YARDS
FATALITIES:             0
INJURIES:               0

START DATE:             06-24-2015
START TIME:             4:48 PM
START LOCATION:         39.724808/-104.900896

END DATE:               06-24-2015
END TIME:               5:10 PM
END LOCATION:           39.736784/-104.851191

ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24TH BETWEEN 4:48PM AND 5:10 PM, A TORNADO
TOUCHED DOWN IN EAST DENVER AND WEST AURORA. THE TORNADO FIRST
TOUCHED DOWN NEAR QUEBEC AND 6TH AVE. IT THEN MOVED EAST-NORTHEAST
ACROSS THE LOWRY CAMPUS INTO THE WEST PART OF AURORA. THE TORNADO
THEN LIFTED NEAR MOUNT NEBO MEMORIAL PARK. BASED ON TREE DAMAGE
THERE WAS LOW END EF1 WITH WIND SPEEDS ESTIMATED IN THE 86-90 MPH
RANGE. MOST OF THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE TORNADO WAS IN THE EF0
RANGE.SOME HOMES HAD MINOR ROOF DAMAGE WITH ONE FORMER APARTMENT
BUILDING ON THE LOWRY CAMPUS HAVING SOME HIGHER END ROOF DAMAGE WITH
ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS IN THE 86-90 MPH RANGE.THE TORNADO PATH
LENGTH BASED ON DAMAGE POINTS WAS 2.8 MILES AND THE WIDTH WAS LESS
THAN 50 YARDS.

EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES
TORNADOES INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES.

EF0...WEAK...... 65 TO 85 MPH
EF1...WEAK...... 86 TO 110 MPH
EF2...STRONG.... 111 TO 135 MPH
EF3...STRONG.... 136 TO 165 MPH
EF4...VIOLENT... 166 TO 200 MPH
EF5...VIOLENT... >200 MPH

NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT AND PUBLICATION IN
NWS STORM DATA.

May 2015 weather recap: A very wet, cool month for Thornton

The first quarter of the year started out dry but April started to signal a turn toward wetter conditions and the month of May certainly followed through on that.  Not only was it a very wet month, it was also much cooler than normal.

A seemingly endless series of disturbances moved through the state almost from the first day through the last day of May 2015.  We started out dry but the third of the month began the wet period with five straight days of precipitation.  That was capped off by a decent shot of snowfall on the 10th of the month.

After that we did dry out for at least a few days before the wet weather returned on the 15th, albeit with lesser amounts of precipitation overall.  By the time the month was over, 18 of the 31 days had seen measureable precipitation in Thornton.

Temperatures were quite cool for the month with the average in Thornton coming in at 52.2 degrees.  This was nearly five degrees below Denver’s May average of 57.1 degrees.  As measured at Denver International Airport, the Mile High City officially saw an overage of 53.0 degrees.

Thornton’s mercury readings ranged from a high of 87.3 degrees on the 31st down to a low of 27.8 degrees on the morning of the 10th.  Denver saw its warmest reading of 85 degrees on the 31st also and its coldest reading of 27 degrees occurred on the 9th and 10th.

In terms of precipitation, the numbers help to showcase just how wet of a month it was.  Here in Thornton we recorded 6.40 inches of liquid precipitation, far above the long term Denver average for May of 2.12 inches.  Officially, Denver also saw above normal precipitation although not by near as much as they recorded 3.76 inches.

That reading was not enough to push May 2015 into the books as one of the top 10 wettest Mays.  However, the airport’s outlying location as compared to historical measurement sites is probably the only reason why.  As Thornton’s measurement and those of other station’s shows, we were far wetter than what DIA saw.

Snowfall in May is not unusual and Thornton saw 5.1 inches from one storm on the 9th and 10th.  Out at the airport 4.0 inches was recorded.  Both were a good bit above the May average of 1.1 inches.

Click here to view Thornton’s May 2015 climate report.

Thornton, Colorado's May 2015 temperature summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Thornton, Colorado’s May 2015 temperature summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Thornton, Colorado's May 2015 precipitation summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Thornton, Colorado’s May 2015 precipitation summary. (ThorntonWeather.com)
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO
645 AM MDT MON JUN 1 2015

................................... 

...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2015... 

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2015

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................ 
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              95   05/26/1942
 LOW               19   05/02/2013
                        05/03/1907
HIGHEST            85   05/31                         87  05/28
                                                          05/29
LOWEST             27   05/10                         30  05/12
                        05/09
AVG. MAXIMUM     63.3              71.5    -8.2     70.6
AVG. MINIMUM     42.7              42.7     0.0     44.5
MEAN             53.0              57.1    -4.1     57.5
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.8    -0.8        0
DAYS MAX <= 32      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MIN <= 32      3               1.9     1.1        4
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.0     0.0        0 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES) 
RECORD
  MAXIMUM         8.57   1876
  MINIMUM         0.06   1974
TOTALS           3.76              2.12    1.64     3.51 
DAILY AVG.       0.12              0.07    0.05     0.11 
DAYS >= .01        19               9.4     9.6       13
DAYS >= .10        10               4.8     5.2        6
DAYS >= .50         2               1.2     0.8        3
DAYS >= 1.00        1               0.2     0.8        1
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    1.18   05/08 TO 05/09           05/20 TO 05/21

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
TOTAL             4.0               1.1
RECORD MAY       15.5                                      1898

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL     367               265     102      244
 SINCE 7/1       5572              5996    -424     5974
COOLING TOTAL       4                21     -17       21
 SINCE 1/1          4                22     -18       21

FREEZE DATES
RECORD
 EARLIEST     09/08/1962
 LATEST       06/08/2007
NORMAL
 EARLIEST                         10/07
 LATEST                           05/05
.................................................. 

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              9.3
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION   2/106
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    45/280    DATE  05/02
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    54/280    DATE  05/02

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.80
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            0
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             15
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         16

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     70

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                2     RAIN                       9
LIGHT RAIN               23     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                1     SNOW                       1
LIGHT SNOW                2     SLEET                      0
FOG                      14     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      7
HAZE                      3

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

May 2015 top shots: Monthly photo slideshow

Lightning streaks across the skies on May 6, 2015. (David Canfield)
Lightning streaks across the skies on May 6, 2015. (David Canfield)

Colorado’s famously highly variable weather seems to showcase itself during the month of May when a variety of weather conditions can be seen.  This provides a prime opportunity for photos of everything weather to flora to fauna.

The month of May can bring extremes.  Snow is not entirely uncommon during the month but more common is severe weather, particularly in the latter half of the month.  Thunderstorms become more frequent and their associated hazards – lightning, wind, hail and tornadoes – are usual visitors.  Providing additional subjects for pictures are the emerging spring flowers and our abundant wildlife.

  • Slideshow updated May 31, 2015. To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.

Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather-related imagery.

Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted in images captured from yours and our cameras.

[flickr_set id=”72157652075811140″]

What is missing in the slideshow above?  Your photo!

Our monthly photo slideshow is going to feature images that we have taken but more importantly images that you have captured.  The photos can be of anything even remotely weather-related.

Landscapes, current conditions, wildlife, pets, kids.  Whimsical, newsy, artsy.  Taken at the zoo, some other area attraction, a local park, a national park or your backyard.  You name it, we want to see and share it!

Images can be taken in Thornton, Denver or anywhere across the extraordinary Centennial State.  We’ll even take some from out of state if we can tie it to Colorado somehow.

We’ll keep the criteria very open to interpretation with just about any image eligible to be shown in our slideshows.

What do you win for having your image in our slideshow?  We are just a ‘mom and pop’ outfit and make no money from our site so we really don’t have the means to provide prizes.  However you will have our undying gratitude and the satisfaction that your images are shared on the most popular website in Thornton.

To share you images with us and get them included in the slideshow just email them to us or share them with ThorntonWeather.com on any of the various social media outlets.  Links are provided below.

So come on, get those camera’s rolling!

Time lapse video of Thornton’s Mother’s Day weekend snow

The past week or so has brought quite a variety of weather, most notably seven straight days of precipitation.  On Saturday we saw a continuation of the rain which changed to snow overnight, an event captured by one of our webcams.

Over the seven days, Thornton recorded a whopping 4.34 inches of liquid precipitation.  Most of that fell as rain but 5.1 inches of snow provided some of that as well.

The video below shows the period from 3:00pm on Saturday, May 9 through 5:00pm on Sunday, May 10 compressed to about 53 seconds.  It starts with rain which soon transitions to snow as the evening arrives.  The snow continues into the following morning and then skies begin to clear and the snow quickly melts.